Salomon Benaioun attempted to publish several newspapers in Tangier around the end of the nineteenth century, and La Liberté /El Horria was the most enduring of them. The paper comprised of a French edition, La Liberté, and a Judeo-Arabic edition, El Horria, each of which was quite different from the other. La Liberté was filled with information on the activities of the Jewish community of Tangier, but provided relatively meager coverage of other Jewish communities in Morocco. The paper also provided a platform for various Jewish intellectuals from Tangier. In contrast, while information in El Horria regarding other communities was ample, information on the community of Tangier was sparse, and the editorials commonly found in La Liberté were almost completely missing from El Horria. This state of affairs may indicate that the French edition was primarily directed towards a Tangier audience, whereas the Judeo-Arabic edition was more focused on readers in the other cities and townships throughout Morocco, however there is no clear documentation of the circulation or readership of either edition.

La Liberté /El Horria proclaimed itself the protector of the interests of Moroccan Jewry. It reported on events in the Jewish world and also provided information on Zionist politics and activities in Palestine. Its attitude toward Zionism was favorable and did not engage in any debates on the matter. The paper in fact adopted a pronounced pro-French line, and was even subsidized by the French authorities in Morocco. During the entire period of its existence, the paper experienced severe economic difficulties, which worsened at the end of the First World War. With the death of the paper's founder and editor, Salomon Benaioun, in 1921, these difficulties increased and La Liberté /El Horria ceased publication in 1922.

The material is brought to you from the collections of the following institutions:

Library of the Alliance Israelite Universelle (Paris)

Quality Status:
Good

Copy from microfilm in good condition. Problems primarily related to the storage and handling of the copies are present: scribbling, smudges, signs of folding, and ink imprints from other newspapers. Missing years: 1918-1920.